Biggles
James Bigglesworth was born in India in May 1899, the son of an administrator in the Indian Civil Service and his wife (née Lacey). He was a prominent aviator during World War I and II. Early Life James was the younger of two sons, Charles being the elder by five years. The young James had little contact with European culture, and commenced a lifelong affection for India, befriending the local Indian boys, exploring the countryside and learning to speak fluent Hindi. He retained a lifetime gift for languages, and as an adult spoke French and German fluently, with a "fair command" of various other languages. However, he did spend holidays in England, with an eccentric uncle and inventor who lived in rural Norfolk. He then attended Malton Hall School in Hertbury, England. His first encounter with an aircraft was with a Blériot that was forced to land on the school cricket ground. First World War Biggles left school and initially joined the army as a subaltern in the Rifle Regiment in 1916. He transferred to the RFC and learned to fly in the summer of 1916, at No. 17 Flying Training School, which was at Settling, Norfolk, flying solo after two hours of instruction. He then attended No. 4 'School of Fighting' in Frensham, Lincolnshire. Posted to France with just 15 hours solo, he first flew in combat in September 1916 with 169 Squadron, RFC, (commanded by Major Paynter). His observer was another youth named Mark Way, a New Zealander. Biggles began flying the F.E.2b "pusher", and later the Bristol F2B. In late summer 1917, he was transferred to 266 Squadron RFC, commanded by a Dubliner, Major Mullen. With 266 Squadron, Biggles flew the Sopwith Pup and the famed Sopwith Camel, developing a friendly rivalry with 'Wilks' (Captain Wilkinson) and the S.E.5’s of 287 squadron and forming a close friendship with his young cousin Algy (the Hon. Algernon Montgomery Lacey). A study of the short stories featuring his World War I exploits suggests that he claimed at least 32 kills, and was shot down or crash-landed eight times. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order, and the Military Cross and Bar. After the Great War, Biggles' adventures as a freelance charter pilot took him around the world in an unidentified amphibian named the "Vandal". His team grew when he and Algy met young Ginger Hebblethwaite while foiling a possible German plot against Britain. Ginger brought the energy and daring of youth to these, and many of their later adventures. Between the wars Biggles and his friends mixed their own escapades with ventures on behalf of British Secret Service. Second World War Biggles returned to service in World War II, initially with a Supermarine S6B type machine in the Baltic Sea and then to defy the Nazis and their allies in Norway. He then took up his post as Commanding Officer of 666 Squadron, RAF, a Special Duties squadron that fought in the Battle of Britain before being sent around the world on specific assignments. Biggles, Algy, Smyth and Hebblethwaite were joined by a new companion, the monocle-wearing Lord Bertram 'Bertie' Lissie. Biggles' new squadron included a diverse cast, including the American 'Tex' O'Hara (from Texas), the Welshman 'Taffy' Hughes, the Cockney 'Tug' Carrington, the Oxford graduate Henry Harcourt and 'Ferocity' Ferris from the streets of Liverpool. Special Air Police After World War II Biggles' career changed yet again, with his former boss the Air Commodore Raymond hiring him as a "flying detective" for Scotland Yard. Biggles returned to his rooms in Mount Street, Mayfair, and assumed a role as head of the new Special Air Police division with Algy, Ginger and Bertie making up the flying squad. The group took on criminals who have taken to the air, both at home in Britain and around the globe, as well as battling opponents behind the Iron Curtain. The team few a wide variety of machines, with Auster and Percival types doing much of the work. Erich von Stalhein Biggles's greatest opponent was the German spy officer Erich von Stalhein. They first met when Biggles was a spy in the Middle East in World War I. Von Stalhein returned as an adversary in numerous other adventures. As the Cold War began, von Stalhein entered the services of the Communist bloc, until his former masters imprisoedn him on the island of Sakhalin, from where Biggles helped him escape. After von Stalhein settles in London, he and Biggles remained in touch. It was from von Stalhein that Biggles learns that Janis survived World War II and was imprisoned in Czechoslovakia, from where Biggles rescued her and went on to support her in England. Category:People Category:Pages Category:World War I Veterans Category:World War II Veterans